Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Iranian-backed Shi’ite rebels continue to hold Yemen’s president and Cabinet hostage.

Yemeni sources said Ansar Allah has placed the former government of President Abbed Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest, Middle East Newsline reported. Ansar, also known as Al Houthi, was said to be demanding the takeover of the military for the release of the Yemeni leaders.

“They have basically taken the entire Yemeni leadership hostage,” a source said.

The sources said Ansar took Hadi and the entire Cabinet hostage when Shi’ite rebels stormed the presidential palace and nearby government buildings in late January 2015. They said the Yemeni leaders were not hurt but cut off from telephone or other contact.

A key demand of Ansar has been that its 20,000-member force merge with the U.S.-supported Yemeni military. Ansar has given Yemeni political parties until Feb. 4 to agree or face a complete Shi’ite takeover.

The United States has acknowledged a dialogue with Ansar as part of efforts to maintain Washington’s war against Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Since the Ansar takeover, the U.S. military conducted at least two air strikes against suspected AQAP fighters.

The sources said AQAP has played a leading role in the current backlash against Ansar. On Feb. 2, a Shi’ite rebel leader identified as Abdullah Ayani was shot dead in the southern city of Ibb, where Ansar was advancing toward the strategic Bab El Mandeb strait.

“The Bab El Mandeb strait is not just related to Yemen’s security but to the security of the whole region,” [Ret.] Brig. Gen. Muhsen Khasrouf told the Saudi daily A-Sharq Al Awsat.

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